Still in America many say we are a Christian Nation and have Christian roots, however we’ve lost sight of how to treat one another and have believed persistent lies that run counter to Christian teachings. The ethic that God gives to guide us in how we are to treat one another is first found in the meaning of life. To find that meaning we must make Jesus the center and cornerstone of our lives. In John 17, Jesus’s High Priestly Prayer, He pours His heart out for the Church to the Heavenly Father. In verse 23 Jesus says, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and loved them even as you have loved me. Jesus goes on in Verse 26 by saying, I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in in them, and I in them. Earlier in the chapter, Jesus expresses His heartfelt desire for His people to grow in holiness. Verse 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. In the very beginning of John, Jesus is said to be with God, He is God, and apart from Him nothing was made. In John 14:6 Jesus claims that He is the life and the truth. Without Him giving us new life, we have no hope for redemption and eternal life free of misery and sorrow. He is the truth because by knowing the revelation given to us in the Bible, we know Him which provides the ultimate meaning for life.
When a person has a heart for Jesus and a desire to know Him intimately, they demonstrate a transformation that only the Lord can bring about. Ezekiel 36:26-27 tells us, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Jesus emphasized this truth to Nicodemus in John 3:3 by telling him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
When one goes through this transformation, they have the freedom to obey Jesus whereas they could not before. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” They now have a restored union with Christ and become fellow heirs with Him (Romans 8:17).
Upon transformation, a person’s eyes become open to the things of God. One of which is how God wants us to see one another. Genesis 1:27 tells us the following, “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Being made in God’s image has major implications for how we are to treat others and view ourselves. In fact, one truth foreign to the world is that as image bearers we have intrinsic worth implying that our worth is separate from our performance showing that God values us regardless of what or how we contribute. God places such value on human life as once again, His image bearers that He said in Genesis 9:6, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image.”
In His Earthly ministry, Jesus summarized the 10 Commandments in Mark 12:30-31 by saying, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” He even goes on to say love your enemy. Matthew 5:43, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
It is important to see that the Bible stresses compassion and fairness in numerous instances. In His time here, Jesus demonstrated and encouraged us to have a heart for the downtrodden and those who are marginalized in society. In His time, children were not looked at in high regard even by His disciples. Jesus addressed by this matter in Matthew 19:14 by saying, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” In Matthew 25:40 Jesus also shows who our hearts should go out to, “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Jesus took much criticism for associating and even having as His disciples what the Jewish leaders of the day regarded as ‘sinners.’ Some of His closest allies included Matthew who was a tax collector who was despised by the Jews for his service to the Roman Government. We cannot leave out Mary Magdalene, a prostitute then all those whom Jesus healed though regarded as unclean.
Regarding fairness, an interesting instance came when a Pharisee whom Jesus befriended name Nicodemus as referenced earlier spoke in His defense. In John 7:51 we find Nicodemus saying, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” We also find reference to our civil liberties in Acts 25. In verse 5 we have: “So, said he, let the men of authority among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them bring charges against him.” Then in verse 16 we have, “I answered them that it was not the custom of the Romans to give up anyone before the accused met the accusers face to face and had opportunity to make his defense concerning the charge laid against him.”
Considering the Kingdom ethic explained here, we should think about ways that police officers treat people like George Floyd. Is it fair to bring out the fact that he had a criminal record in the context of the instance in which he lost his life? Consider that he was out of jail which clearly implies that he had done his time. What about the claims made that according to the autopsy records he had an extremely high level of a dangerous drug in his system? If that is the case, then why were the officers so intent on getting him out of his vehicle and dragging him around? I do not know of any occasion where I have seen someone inebriated who was treated this poorly. So, we have two lies according to the police narrative. First, Floyd’s record which he had done his time for and the fact that he was high excused the police officer’s behavior. Finally, a policeman putting his knee on someone’s neck is acceptable because in this case Mr. Floyd was high though he was crying and posed a threat to no one. Furthermore, the police narrative points out that there happens to be training for the tactic. Well, from my knowledge servicemen are trained to use torture measures such as waterboarding, doctors are trained to administer suicide concoctions to suffering patients while painting the lie that they have no hope for their life, and even in medical schools’ students are being trained to perform abortions.
While Mr. Floyd has been dead for a year thanks to four policeman who showed no regard to their fellow human being there is still a lesson to be learned. One thing that comes to mind is that we should look out for those who are hurting and need help. In the video I saw recently on this situation, a bystander said he had just lost his mother and that he had a bad experience with a cop previously. So, couple that with him being on a high dosage of a dangerous drug it is no wonder he was emotional and did not want to comply with the police officers though he was not demonstrating dangerous behavior.
Say what you want about George Floyd, he should have been treated as one needing care who of course was an image bearer like all of us. On a final note, the sad thing is that his life came to an end with a police officer’s knee on his neck which all began over him allegedly using a fake $20 bill.
In His Image 